Kenitra-Marrakech TGV: crumbs for Spain

Emmanuel Macron signed several agreements totaling one billion euros during his state visit to Rabat, which ends this Wednesday, according to the Élysée. One of these agreements would be related to the construction of the high-speed line (LGV) connecting Kenitra to Marrakech, the work of which will be entrusted to the French company Egis, reports El Confidencial, adding that the French company Alstom will supply the 30 trains that will serve this line.

If the information is confirmed, the Spanish companies CAF and Talgo, who bid for this call for tenders launched by the Moroccan National Railways Office (ONCF), like Egis and Alstom, will thus be reduced to the crumbs of the market with the other competitors that are the South Korean Hyundai Rotem and the Chinese CRRC, analyzes the Spanish media, noting that unlike Spain, France is already reaping the benefits of its support for the Moroccan autonomy plan for the Sahara.

In a letter sent to King Mohammed VI on July 30 on the occasion of the Throne Feast, the French president recognized that the Moroccan proposal is the most credible and viable solution to resolve the conflict in the Sahara. Emmanuel Macron reaffirmed this position of France in favor of Morocco on Tuesday during his speech before the Moroccan Parliament in Rabat. "For France, the present and future of the Sahara are part of the framework of Morocco’s sovereignty," he said.

The occupant of the Élysée also reiterated Paris’ commitment to support Morocco "in international forums" to defend the "Moroccanness" of the Sahara. However, he did not mention the imminent opening of a French consulate in Dakhla, in the Moroccan Sahara, as some media had announced. "Rabat will eventually demand that the Spanish government imitate Macron not only with words, but also with gestures," warns a Spanish diplomat, recalling that the kingdom wants to control the airspace of the Sahara, managed by Las Palmas since 1976.